 |
Previous Article | Next Article 
The Journal of Neuroscience, December 15, 2002, 22(24):10898-10905
Rhythmicity without Synchrony in the Electrically Uncoupled
Inferior Olive
Michael A.
Long1,
Michael R.
Deans2,
David L.
Paul2, and
Barry W.
Connors1
1 Department of Neuroscience, Division of Biology and
Medicine, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, and
2 Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School,
Boston, Massachusetts 02115
Neurons of the inferior olivary nucleus (IO) form the climbing
fibers that excite Purkinje cells of the cerebellar cortex. IO neurons
are electrically coupled through gap junctions, and they generate
synchronous, subthreshold oscillations of membrane potential at
~5-10 Hz. Experimental and theoretical studies have suggested that
both the rhythmicity and synchrony of IO neurons require electrical
coupling. We recorded from pairs of IO neurons in slices of mouse
brainstem in vitro. Most pairs of neurons from wild-type
(WT) mice were electrically coupled, but coupling was rare and weak
between neurons of knock-out (KO) mice for connexin36, a neuronal gap
junction protein. IO cells in both WT and KO mice generated rhythmic
membrane fluctuations of similar frequency and amplitude. Oscillations
in neighboring pairs of WT neurons were strongly synchronized, whereas
the oscillations of KO pairs were uncorrelated. Spontaneous
oscillations in KO neurons were not blocked by tetrodotoxin.
Spontaneously oscillating neurons of both WT and KO mice generated
occasional action potentials in phase with their membrane rhythms, but
only the action potentials of WT neuron pairs were synchronous.
Harmaline, a -carboline derivative thought to induce tremor by
facilitating rhythmogenesis in the IO, was injected systemically into
WT and KO mice. Harmaline-induced tremors were robust and
indistinguishable in the two genotypes, suggesting that gap
junction-mediated synchrony does not play a role in harmaline-induced
tremor. We conclude that electrical coupling is not necessary for the
generation of spontaneous subthreshold oscillations in single IO
neurons, but that coupling can serve to synchronize rhythmic activity
among IO neurons.
Key words:
inferior olive; electrical coupling; connexin36; gap
junction; harmaline; rhythms; synchrony
Copyright © 2002 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/02/222410898-08$05.00/0
This article has been cited by other articles:

|
 |

|
 |
 
W.-C. Li, A. Roberts, and S. R. Soffe
Locomotor rhythm maintenance: electrical coupling among premotor excitatory interneurons in the brainstem and spinal cord of young Xenopus tadpoles
J. Physiol.,
April 15, 2009;
587(8):
1677 - 1693.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
M. E. Brown and M. Ariel
Topography and Response Timing of Intact Cerebellum Stained With Absorbance Voltage-Sensitive Dye
J Neurophysiol,
January 1, 2009;
101(1):
474 - 490.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
D. Gonzalez-Nieto, J. M. Gomez-Hernandez, B. Larrosa, C. Gutierrez, M. D. Munoz, I. Fasciani, J. O'Brien, A. Zappala, F. Cicirata, and L. C. Barrio
Regulation of neuronal connexin-36 channels by pH
PNAS,
November 4, 2008;
105(44):
17169 - 17174.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
K. Haneda and Y. Oka
Coordinated Synchronization in the Electrically Coupled Network of Terminal Nerve Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Neurons as Demonstrated by Double Patch-Clamp Study
Endocrinology,
July 1, 2008;
149(7):
3540 - 3548.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
S. Khosrovani, R. S. Van Der Giessen, C. I. De Zeeuw, and M. T. G. De Jeu
In vivo mouse inferior olive neurons exhibit heterogeneous subthreshold oscillations and spiking patterns
PNAS,
October 2, 2007;
104(40):
15911 - 15916.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
J. Diaz, P. Razeto-Barry, J.-C. Letelier, J. Caprio, and J. Bacigalupo
Amplitude Modulation Patterns of Local Field Potentials Reveal Asynchronous Neuronal Populations
J. Neurosci.,
August 22, 2007;
27(34):
9238 - 9245.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
F. J. Urbano, J. I. Simpson, and R. R. Llinas
Somatomotor and oculomotor inferior olivary neurons have distinct electrophysiological phenotypes
PNAS,
October 31, 2006;
103(44):
16550 - 16555.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
E. J. Lang, R. Llinas, and I. Sugihara
Isochrony in the olivocerebellar system underlies complex spike synchrony
J. Physiol.,
May 15, 2006;
573(1):
277 - 279.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
D. G. Placantonakis, A. A. Bukovsky, S. A. Aicher, H.-P. Kiem, and J. P. Welsh
Continuous electrical oscillations emerge from a coupled network: a study of the inferior olive using lentiviral knockdown of connexin36.
J. Neurosci.,
May 10, 2006;
26(19):
5008 - 5016.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
F. Saraga, L. Ng, and F. K. Skinner
Distal Gap Junctions and Active Dendrites Can Tune Network Dynamics
J Neurophysiol,
March 1, 2006;
95(3):
1669 - 1682.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
T. A. Blenkinsop and E. J. Lang
Block of Inferior Olive Gap Junctional Coupling Decreases Purkinje Cell Complex Spike Synchrony and Rhythmicity
J. Neurosci.,
February 8, 2006;
26(6):
1739 - 1748.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
E. Leznik and R. Llinas
Role of Gap Junctions in Synchronized Neuronal Oscillations in the Inferior Olive
J Neurophysiol,
October 1, 2005;
94(4):
2447 - 2456.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
A. Simon, S. Olah, G. Molnar, J. Szabadics, and G. Tamas
Gap-Junctional Coupling between Neurogliaform Cells and Various Interneuron Types in the Neocortex
J. Neurosci.,
July 6, 2005;
25(27):
6278 - 6285.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
M. Ariel
Latencies of Climbing Fiber Inputs to Turtle Cerebellar Cortex
J Neurophysiol,
February 1, 2005;
93(2):
1042 - 1054.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
A. Hewitt, R. Barrie, M. Graham, K. Bogus, J. C. Leiter, and J. S. Erlichman
Ventilatory effects of gap junction blockade in the RTN in awake rats
Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol,
December 1, 2004;
287(6):
R1407 - R1418.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
S. Hidaka, Y. Akahori, and Y. Kurosawa
Dendrodendritic Electrical Synapses between Mammalian Retinal Ganglion Cells
J. Neurosci.,
November 17, 2004;
24(46):
10553 - 10567.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
S. J. Cruikshank, M. Hopperstad, M. Younger, B. W. Connors, D. C. Spray, and M. Srinivas
Potent block of Cx36 and Cx50 gap junction channels by mefloquine
PNAS,
August 17, 2004;
101(33):
12364 - 12369.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
X.-L. Zhang, L. Zhang, and P. L. Carlen
Electrotonic coupling between stratum oriens interneurones in the intact in vitro mouse juvenile hippocampus
J. Physiol.,
August 1, 2004;
558(3):
825 - 839.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
D. G. Placantonakis, A. A. Bukovsky, X.-H. Zeng, H.-P. Kiem, and J. P. Welsh
Fundamental role of inferior olive connexin 36 in muscle coherence during tremor
PNAS,
May 4, 2004;
101(18):
7164 - 7169.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
M. A. Long, C. E. Landisman, and B. W. Connors
Small Clusters of Electrically Coupled Neurons Generate Synchronous Rhythms in the Thalamic Reticular Nucleus
J. Neurosci.,
January 14, 2004;
24(2):
341 - 349.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
N Rouach, M Segal, A Koulakoff, C Giaume, and E Avignone
Carbenoxolone blockade of neuronal network activity in culture is not mediated by an action on gap junctions
J. Physiol.,
December 15, 2003;
553(3):
729 - 745.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
R. Bruzzone, S. G. Hormuzdi, M. T. Barbe, A. Herb, and H. Monyer
Pannexins, a family of gap junction proteins expressed in brain
PNAS,
November 11, 2003;
100(23):
13644 - 13649.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
E. H. Hu and S. A. Bloomfield
Gap Junctional Coupling Underlies the Short-Latency Spike Synchrony of Retinal {alpha} Ganglion Cells
J. Neurosci.,
July 30, 2003;
23(17):
6768 - 6777.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
C. I. De Zeeuw, E. Chorev, A. Devor, Y. Manor, R. S. Van Der Giessen, M. T. De Jeu, C. C. Hoogenraad, J. Bijman, T. J. H. Ruigrok, P. French, et al.
Deformation of Network Connectivity in the Inferior Olive of Connexin 36-Deficient Mice Is Compensated by Morphological and Electrophysiological Changes at the Single Neuron Level
J. Neurosci.,
June 1, 2003;
23(11):
4700 - 4711.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
D. L. Buhl, K. D. Harris, S. G. Hormuzdi, H. Monyer, and G. Buzsaki
Selective Impairment of Hippocampal Gamma Oscillations in Connexin-36 Knock-Out Mouse In Vivo
J. Neurosci.,
February 1, 2003;
23(3):
1013 - 1018.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|
|